Ateljee Bar is situated atop a beautiful 1930s tower. The Hotel Torni was the tallest building in the country when it was constructed.

The Edifice

I spotted the structure almost immediately after arriving in central Helsinki and was climbing the stairs within minutes of checking into my hotel.

I had researched it before my trip, but hadn’t expected to see it so quickly, especially amid the weather. Despite the fog it easily catches the eye.

When it comes to the 1930s we can of course, admire the architecture but not much of the politics. The clean lines, bold fonts and grand visions of the design during that challenging decade are inspiring, even if the tides of global economics and political movements at the time were not. Let’s ignore the latter and focus on the elegance of the former.

The Glorious Past

As soon as you step in the door of the Torni building you leave behind the many art nouveau façades of Helsinki’s courteous streets and enter a different sense of luxury: Art Deco.

The hotel lobby was quietly elegant with sleek, vintage furniture. There is an impressive American Bar in its own right but I took the narrow lift up to the roof.

One word of warning, after you ascend to the twelfth floor, you have to take a narrow spiral stairway to the bar. This renders it inaccessible to some and dangerous for those who might consider breaking ‘the two martini rule‘.

Once you mount the stairs, you are likely to find a lovely group of Finns and foreigners enjoying the view, the sunset or just the decor and drinks.

The Hotel Torni (or ‘Hotel Tower’) has stood as a high-end residence, wartime watchtower and culinary destination in its nearly century-long reign over the city, but I was there specifically to try the martinis.

The staff were wonderful, polite, friendly and observant without being overbearing – a perfect balance of attentiveness and unobtrusiveness.

The Elixir

I ordered a martini and was asked all the reassuring questions. There were no olives on the day, so if you prefer yours with olive I’m afraid you might have to make do with a carefully squeezed, then shaped strip of lemon peel. Luckily this is my exact preference.

The glass was chilled with ice and the drink was stirred with ice. It therefore wasn’t as cold as a freezer-made martini but this is a fairly small bar and I don’t know if it would be possible to squeeze in a freezer. It was certainly cold enough and eminently pleasant.

The glassware was an elegant, very thin and high quality glass coupe. I almost always prefer a V-shaped glass with my martini, but this was definitely the acceptable European (in this case German) variety of very high quality glassware. I liked the starburst motif on the base of the glass. It also fits the Art Deco interior.

I was offered the martini in the style of the house, which involves both Tanqueray and a very light touch of  Noilly Prat which feels ideal to me for a standard martini.

I felt that the juniper-leading Tanqueray felt almost Nordic, with the flavour profile reminiscent of the niwaki-esque pine trees gracing the windows of the venue.

However, a Finnish gin would also be a highly suitable alternative. Kyrö was stocked behind the bar.

A Sight for Sore Eyes

The view is one of the key features of the venue, although I was visiting on an evening of fairly heavy cloud.

Nonetheless, regardless of the grey, even after the sun had set there was a sense of liberating open-air from this relatively small venue that made it feel refreshingly open. I feel like this is a particular strong point of Finnish architecture: bringing in light and space from the outside without letting in the cold.

For additional visual stimulation, Ateljee is Finnish for an artists work room or studio and the bar features regularly changing displays of Finnish artworks.

The Glorious Bathroom

The WC is particularly known for its impressive views, although you will have to appreciate the full glory on a day with clearer weather. The above photo gives you an indication, but nothing compared to the delightful, if somewhat uncomfortable surprise you might feel when you enter the room.

Grey and Grapefruit

I was told that the weather was ‘long drink’ weather.

Long drink is a Finnish speciality involving gin and grapefruit juice, which is delightfully refreshing, and absolutely spectacular for summertime.

However, because it is essentially grey in colour it has become a motif for cloudy days. Nonetheless, the drink is delicious and refreshing.

The Roundup

The martini was 17 Euros which I would say was a very good price for such a location. I particularly liked the attentive and delightful staff, and it’s a pretty special place. All in all, an excellent martini in a fantastic venue.

Kippis!